INTRODUCTION — WAITE. 9 



111 ISSS sevei'al such Jittciupts wore made in the interest uf 

 Dr. V. Marano, the Italian Consul, Mr. Oscar Meyer and Mr. 

 Leonard! Porcelli ; the dates supplied to me are June 3rd and 4th, 

 29th and 30th, July 7tli and 8th, and 22nd and 23rd. Trials 

 were made between the 25 and 33 fatlujins lines, and the net used 

 was one patented by Mr. Porcelli, of which the specification (and 

 an illustration) is published by the Fishery Commissioners* : — 



"The net itself is unlike the English beam trawl, being twice 

 as long, and having its other dimensions in proportion ; the 

 mouth, instead of being a plain transverse opening, is formed of 

 two extending jaws or wings, which when distended form a shape 

 like the letter V. The net is drawn through the water by two 

 vessels, there being two warps attached to it, one at each side of 

 the mouth ; the attachments also are different from those used 

 with the ordinary English trawl." The trials wei'e regarded as 

 very satisfactory, and were conducted off Broken Bay and Port 

 Hacking. One catch is described as being so enormous that the 

 net broke, and the fish escaped. 



Operations were renewed by the Italians in 1890, but no 

 industry has resulted from the several praiseworthy attempts 

 made. 



In August, 1889, Mr. F. W. Smithers, Insi^ector of Fisheries, 

 took out a small vessel, and put a trawl over in 17 fathoms off 

 Merimbula, north of Twofold Bay ; the Mollusca were sent to the 

 Museum and determined b}^ Brazier, who records seven species, 

 the only one of special interest being CrassateLla kingicola, Lamk., 

 recorded for the first time from the coast of New South Wales, f 



It was a constant practice, extending over many years, for the 

 Australian Museum staff to di"edge within the harbour, but 

 operations finally ceased in 1893 when the financial crisis of the 

 Colony occurred. The collections made have afforded material 

 wherewith to furnish the galleries, and have also been used for 

 purpo.ses of exchange. 



No account is here taken of the many dredgings in Poi't 

 Jackson made by both foreign and local effort, and which have 

 provided material for many papers published here and elsewhere. 

 A list of the Mollusca taken in Port Jackson in one day may be 

 consulted in the Annual Reports of the Trustees.! While as 

 showing the richness of the fauna, Mr. A. U. Henn, in October, 

 1893, took an old bottle from a rock pool and found it to 

 contain one hundred and fifty-five species of molluscs represented 

 by one thousand three hundred and seventy-six specimens. § 



* Report Commissioners of Fishei'ies N.S.W., for 18SS, p. 19, and plate. 



t Brazier-Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.AV. (2), iv., 1889, p. 74.5. 



t Australian Museum Report for 1881 (1882), p. 16. 



§ Henn & Brazier— Proc. I,inn. Soc. N.S.W. (2), ix., 1894, p. 165. 



